Heart of the Matter (TV series)

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Heart of the Matter is a British television debate series that aired on BBC One from 1979 to 2000. Presented variously by Joan Bakewell, Helena Kennedy QC and David Jessel, [1] its subject matter was often concerned with religious or ethical issues. Topics covered include subjects as diverse as substance abuse, the effects of anti-personnel landmines, and homosexuality. Bakewell would usually chair an in-studio debate in which invited guests would discuss the edition's chosen topic. An edition from 1996 hosted by Joan Bakewell, The Heart of the Matter: God Under the Microscope, featured a debate on science and religion and included as guests David Starkey, Mary Warnock, Wentzel van Huyssteen, Richard Dawkins, Polish Roman Catholic priest and 2008 Templeton Prize winner [2] cosmologist Prof. Michael Heller, and James Watson.

Heart of the Matter was broadcast late on Sunday evenings, usually alternating with the similarly themed Everyman , though the latter tended to have more of a religious focus. Both programmes were cancelled [3] in the 2000s following a revamp of BBC output.

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References

  1. Summers, Sue (18 May 1994). "Ms Bakewell gets to the heart of the matter: The BBC's award-winning presenter of the old school tells Sue Summers what's gone wrong in the corporation" . The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  2. "The Templeton Prize – Previous Winners". Templetonprize.org. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  3. Moore, Matthew (21 June 2009). "BBC's appointment of Muslim as head of religion is 'worrying', Anglicans warn". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 August 2012.